ASTR 1210

This course was awesome! Incredibly interesting. Professor Evans does a good job of translating complicated topics into easy-to-understand graphics and diagrams. He uploads the slides after lecture, but it was really helpful to attend lecture in person because he says a lot of things that are not on the slide. The Astronomy labs were very interesting and easy to get a good grade in as long as you did what was asked of you. Quizzes were informative and Professor Evans offered lots of feedback. Overall great class, wonderful Professor who gave entertaining lectures and fair grades!

I definitely recommend taking this course with Evans to fulfill a requirement. Grading was based off online quizzes on the textbook which were super easy, 2 labs (TA's will help you), a few math problems (evans will check before you turn in), and 3 exams. Evans did online exams the previous semester due to covid so he kept that for us so they were open note (I got all A's without studying), however, if this changed the exams would be incredibly difficult due to the amount of material. Personally I thought the actual content of the course was super boring and didn't actually absorb any information as I didn't have to. I'd recommend if you want an easy A, Evans is such a chill and funny prof.

This class was awesome. Exactly what you need to take if you kind of interested or need another class. Barely any outside work at all and whatever it was was so easy. Your grade consists of hw (which is easy enough to be considered completion), 2 labs (which you should also get 100s on, just talk to the TAs at them and ask for help), and 3 exams. The exams are non cumulative, open-note, and relatively direct if you have notes. Either use his power points to take notes or do you own in class but if you have these you're set. There is also a decent amount of extra credit you can earn. At the beginning of the year do all the optional things for extra credit. Then before every exam you can submit a practice problem for extra credit. Evans really wants you to do well and you can tell he loves what he is doing. Such a sweet guy. No complaints at all. One thing to note is that not all ASTR classes are like this one so definitely go with Aaron Evans.

What a fantastic class. I really truly loved it and I am not someone into astronomy. The content is interesting and the assignments and the tests are not hard. I felt like most of the work was based on completion so just do everything and you will be fine. Don't be bothered by the past grades above, this really is an easy class if you put any effort in. Professor Evans is a great guy who loves his job and educating others. From what I have heard from other classes he is by far the best astronomy professor.

I would say there is a difference between Professor Evans and his lecture slides. The lecture slides can be dry sometimes, but Professor Evans really finds all the things he teaches to be pretty interesting, and he includes small stories or side comments about his own experiences in his astronomy career, so the lectures overall aren't terrible. Plus, sometimes he will show videos in class, and he will dim the lights so you can catch a bit of a break in the middle of the lecture. The class is a pretty standard ASTR introduction class. Lectures are 2x per week, there are two exams and a final exam. You don't get to drop any exam grades, but the exams are all open-note/ open-book so it's not bad. The course also includes 2 Quantitative quizzes (basically two assignments that have all the math you will do for the semester- they aren't long at all and if you have any questions you can ask Professor Evans and he will help you out. You also have to do the Telescoping Lab and the Constellation Lab, which contribute to your grade. I would recommend finding a friend who also has to do them, because it makes the labs go by faster. The Telescoping Lab and Constellation Lab are held over the semester at night, so you go and observe the stars basically. For the telescoping lab you get to go up to the McCormick Observatory, which is pretty cool. Overall, this isn't a bad class for fulfilling your gen eds, and if you're interested in astronomy it will be even better. A week's work looks like: attending the lectures, reviewing the textbook chapters (really only 1 or 2 per week, max. You can just take notes on the summary section of each chapter and make sure you know the terminology and you'll be good).

Such an amazing class! I took astronomy to fill a science requirement, but it was also a topic I was interested in but knew little about. It's incredibly easy as exams are open book/ note, all multiple choice, and zero math; but the lectures still feel worth it. Because there is a time limit on exams, it's important to at least take notes and memorize some of the content so you aren't looking up every single question, and I would not recommend skipping a majority of the lectures (skipping one here and there felt nice). Lectures are easy to follow and Professor Evans does a great job at explaining even the more complicated concepts; however, the slides are always either too vague or too detailed, which is why attending lectures (or watching the recorded ones) is very important. Overall, a very easy class if you want to check a box and a very well done class for those who want to learn something.

Grades consist of 3, non-cumulative exams, weekly textbook quizzes, 2 labs, and 2-3 math-based take-home quizzes; all of which are incredibly easy

The class wasn't bad. For the online course, it was two weekly asynchronous lectures and mastering astronomy homework for the week, which was pretty easy as long as you had your notes/understood lecture. There are three open note noncumulative exams which were all multiple choice (I did well without studying too much and just following his study guide), two pretty easy labs that you had most of the semester to do, and two quantitative quizzes based on lectures that are basically plugging numbers in. I found it all pretty easy and Evans is a really sweet guy who responds to emails fast and is willing to help (he will help you with your quizzes and basically tell you if you're right). The lectures can be boring, but Evans has a nice dad sense of humor and its nice when he tells stories about his experience. As a humanities major, I took this for a science requirement and it was not too hard and fairly enjoyable, it didn't cause too much stress. If you're taking the class, I think evans is the guy you should take it with. Also you don’t really need to read the textbook, you can just skim

#tCF2020

This class was extremely straightforward. The lectures are LONG, but if you put in the work and actually take notes, the exams aren't hard.

I rarely went to lectures, opened the textbook maybe once or twice throughout the whole semester and I got a B- for my final grade. There is no homework minus 2 take home quizzes and 2 labs, so your exam scores really matter. His exams aren't the type where you can cram the night before and easily get an A. To really do well in the class, you need to fully understand the material by reading the textbook, taking thorough notes in class and studying. It's definitely a good class for non-science majors looking to fill a requirement, but as a non-stem major myself, I found it extremely boring to the point that my motivation to learn the material was very minimal. Good luck!

Listen up y'all non-sciency people. To fulfill your requirement take this class with Aaron Evans. He is easy to understand and kinda funny and you have no hmwk because you don't really have to read the textbook if you go to lecture, it's 2 easy labs at night and a couple take home quizzes that you can run by him to make sure you're right. Exams are multiple choice and average is usually a B but the Extra Credit is sooooo simple and helpful. The material is also actually kind of cool so I definitely recommend this class.

Really good professor but exams were kind of tricky! I was not super interested in the material and never really was able to master the exams. Ended up with an ok grade but would not recommend this class unless you were actually interested in astronomy.

I definitely recommend this class. Professor Evans was great as he really cared about the material and also wanted his students to succeed. He made the exams very predictable and manageable and put out study guides that were very helpful. The lectures were somewhat boring, but I'd recommend going because they were helpful in really getting the info down, since he repeats important aspects a lot and mentions things that will be on the exam during some lectures. There is also extra credit, which is super easy and impacts your exam great in a very positive way. The only downside would be that even with studying and attending all the lectures, it is somewhat hard to get an A, and I found myself stuck in the A- range. Overall, I recommend taking this class especially if you are not a fan of science, because it easy and also pretty interesting.

Only 2 labs, 2 take-home quizzes and 3 exams all non-cumulative! Lot of material and very boring lectures but not difficult if you can memorize!

Evans really knows what he's talking about and is very clearly passionate about the material which is always a plus. The subject matter is very interesting. The exams weren't too difficult, but studying is definitely recommended. The lectures were chock-full of information, so be prepared to write/type non-stop for the entirety of the lecture.

ridiculously easy course and professor! Evans makes all of his tests non-cumulative (including the final!!) and multiple-choice, gives you a study guide, posts his powerpoints online, and lets you do earn extra-credit for the test. Lectures are pretty boring unless you are super interested in astronomy/universe, but it is worth it to sit through them! I didn't bother with the textbook, was able to just study the lecture notes/powerpoints and still get an A. You have to do two labs (one in the astronomy building parking lot looking at stars and the other at McCormick Observatory). The labs are super easy and are basically just worksheets (not even remotely close to the same as Chem/Bio/Physics labs, so don't worry you non-science majors!). There are two take-own quizzes that you just plug numbers into equations. Other than the labs, quizzes, and studying for the tests, I put in no work outside of class. Excellent course for non-science majors like me who is just trying to take care of the science area requirements with as little pain as possible! However, you must take this course with Aaron Evans if you want it to be as easy as possible!!!!!!

Ridiculously easy course. Took this first semester, first year. Never once opened the textbook and maybe skipped 4 lectures (the lecture powerpoints are on Collab). The information is pretty interesting and tests are fairly easy if you study (i studied probably four hours for each test and got B's). He gives you study guides for the tests, but I'd recommend just going through the powerpoints of the chapters you're being tested on and making flashcards. Dr. Evans is a super nice guy and occasionally lets out class 20 minutes early. The only math required is pretty easy math for the quizzes.

Pretty easy class. For every single exam, if you turn in a question ahead of time, you get two points added to your exam score. Although the final is a lot trickier. Overall a highly recommended class, probably the easiest out of all the intro astronomy classes.
Plus, Prof. Aaron Evans is a very nice professor, especially if you ask him a question during office hour or after a class.

The way Evans structured his class made it easy to do well while doing minimal amounts of work throughout the semester. There are 3 noncumulative exams, all of which can be studied for solely by using the lecture slides he keeps on his course website. Additionally, he offers extra credit points for each exam if you submit test questions before the exam. The labs blow, but they don't really affect your grade as long as you pass them. Two take home quizzes are grade boosters. Overall, despite the relatively boring material, I highly recommend this class to anyone in need of a science requirement.

Evans is awesome! Super funny and practically gives you answers to questions that are going to be on the exams in class. 3 noncumulative tests (even the final!) that are ridiculously easy if you pay attention, two take home quizzes that are so easy, two labs outside of class that are really interesting and extra credit on every exam if you submit a question to him! No homework ever, one of the easiest sciences at UVA.

There were two labs that you could take as many times as you want if you weren't satisfied with your grade on them. They were pretty easy.. make sure you do it early so it isn't freezing outside! There were also two take home quizzes that I could do with my eyes closed--ridiculously easy, only take 5 minutes each (you are given plenty of time to do them). Evans is amazing. He is really clear at explaining everything and the tests are really easy. He gives an option to turn in a sample test question that he may use on a test for two extra points on your test. Evans is excellent at clarifying concepts, makes sure everything is well understood, and welcomes any questions.

This class really wasn't that hard, but I thought the lectures were kind of dry. He gives study guides for the tests, so as long as you study them, you have nothing to worry about. There are two or three take-home "quizzes" but they're open note so they aren't difficult. The required labs are pretty interesting and flexible.